


To Be A Son

by Rookblonkorules



Series: To Be A Family [1]
Category: Shazam! (2019)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Attempted Kidnapping, Crying, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Found Family, Gen, Hugging, Hurt/Comfort, Mary is in college, Mild Language, Protective Billy, Reveal Fic, protective Rosa, some physical hurt, some violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 20:34:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,450
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18598927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rookblonkorules/pseuds/Rookblonkorules
Summary: Billy didn’t get a chance to be a good son the first time around.Fate sees fit to give him another chance.And if being a good son means he has to reveal himself to keep Rosa safe, well… so be it.





	To Be A Son

“Billy, could you take these?” Rosa hands over two of the fully laden grocery bags, fumbling in her purse for the keys to the van. 

Billy takes them, letting them slide down till they’re hanging at his elbows. “Yeah, uh… no problem.”

Rosa smiles gratefully, withdrawing the keys. “Thank you, Billy,” she says. “I don’t know what I would do without you. Mary usually comes with me but…” She trails off and flaps a hand vaguely. 

A faint sheen of tears glimmers just beneath her eyes and she sniffs, wiping it away. “ _ Anyways, _ ” she says, rather forcibly, “your coming with me is a big help.” 

Billy shrugs. “It’s fine. I… I miss Mary too.”

Rosa gives him a watery half-smile. “Of course you do, you sweet boy.” She gives his shoulder a consoling squeeze. “But she’s not going to be gone forever. She’ll be back for holidays. And the summer breaks.” She turns, starting to unlock the car. “We just need to remember that.”

“Right.” Billy nods his head. “Yeah.”

It’s when Rosa’s opening the door that it happens. 

Something slams into Billy. 

The force of it has him seeing stars and he stumbles forward, dropping the grocery bags before he can catch himself.

Something shatters as the bags crash into the pavement. Bright red tomato sauce spreads out in a puddle. Like blood.

“Billy?” Rosa turns, concern in her voice. “What’s…?” A thud, something or someone being slammed into the side of a vehicle, cuts her off. Then a small scream, an, “Oh my….!” that ends with a little gasp.

Billy struggles to orient himself, blinking past the stars that still dot his vision. 

Before he can, a hand clamps itself over his mouth, dragging him back against a firm chest. The hand is gloved, tinged slightly with the smell of cigarette smoke and alcohol. 

Automatically,  Billy reaches up, clutching at the arm holding him prisoner. He just has to fight enough to get the hand off of his mouth.  It doesn’t have to be enough time. Just enough to say the word.

Then there’s the  _ snick  _ of something metallic and then something cold, sharp and hard is pressed lightly against the skin of his throat.

It’s enough to send any thoughts he’d had about struggling packing back to where they came from. 

His other self might be impervious to steel, but he isn’t. 

Even if he manages to get the hand off his mouth, it’ll be kind of hard to scream,  _ “Shazam!” _ when he’s choking on his own blood. 

Billy looks up, searching for Rosa, and he finds her. She’s pinned against the side of the van. A man- greasy blonde hair lank, his torn leather jacket hanging off his shoulders, has a hand on her shoulder.  He’s keeping her there. And a gun- Billy swallows- there’s a gun being jabbed against her chest. 

But Rosa isn’t looking at the gun. She’s looking at him.

For one heart-stopping moment, Billy wonders if she knows. If she knows and she’s waiting for him to say the word and save them both.

Her eyes are wide and afraid, but then… it’s with a jolt that he realizes she’s not afraid of what they’ll do to her. 

It’s what they’ll do to  _ him. _

The realization settles sickeningly in the pit of his stomach. 

He wants her to run. If she elbows him in the gut, knees him the groin, she’ll be able to get away. 

“Billy,” she whispers. “Billy, no-” Her eyes flit desperately to the stocky man pinning her up against the van. “I’ll do whatever you want. Just… don’t hurt him. Please!”

“Get in the car, lady, and we won’t have to.”

“Get in the…  What do you want?” Her eyes flicker to Billy’s again.

He grips the arm holding him tighter, fury building up in his gut.

The man has no right to touch her, to intimidate her because he understands that his size and his strength enable him to.

The knife presses harder against his flesh, a subtle but significant warning.

Billy stills, painfully aware of his own vulnerability. Of his own helplessness to do  _ anything  _ to help either one of them.

“Your keys. Give them to me.” He holds out his hand.

Rosa does. 

The man shoves her shoulder and she stumbles back.

Billy glares, but for the moment, he can do nothing but seethe helplessly.

Rosa catches herself against the side of the van, shooting a venomous glare at the man before her.

He grins easily, swinging the keys.

Then he holds them back out to her.

Rosa looks at the keys, then back at him, clearly confused, wondering if this is some sort of trick...

“Take them,” he says, thrusting them at her. “You’re going to get in the car- the driver’s seat- and you’re not going to kick up a fuss. You’re not going to scream. And you’re not going to put up a fight. You’re going to do exactly what I tell you to. I think you know what will happen if you don’t.”

Rosa’s hands close over the keys. Her eyes flicker over towards Billy again and she nods slowly.

“Good.” The lazy grin never leaves his face, but he gestures impatiently with the hand not holding the gun. “Get in. And don’t forget-” He makes a hand-wavey motion towards Billy. The rest is implied and Rosa breathes in sharply.

Her eyes flicker over to Billy again and he  _ hates  _ the fear that he sees there. But then Rosa lifts her chin, looks him square in the eyes, and says, “You disgusting excuse of a human being.”

Billy’s eyebrows go up in surprise, not just because he’s never heard Rosa say anything like that, but because of the sheer  _ venom  _ she speaks with.

She turns to climb into the car and Billy sees the shine of tears under her eyes, the way she’s biting her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

“You gonna let her talk to you like that, Brad?” The man keeping a grip on him waves the knife in Rosa’s general direction.

It’s the window of opportunity Billy’s been waiting for and he takes it. 

He steps down on the tip of the man’s instep. Hard.

The man curses, loosening his grip just a bit. 

Billy drives both of his elbows into the man’s gut, ducking away when the man releases him to double over in pain. 

Another curse follows the first and the man lunges for him, blade extended. It catches just underneath his left ear, tracing a neat little line of fire across his skin.

He feels the warm trickle sliding down his neck as the blood starts to flow.

“ _ Billy!” _ Rosa screams and there’s the sudden report of a gun going off.

But it’s too late.

The word has already left his mouth and the bullet does no more than ping harmlessly off his superpowered shoulder.

The man with the knife looks like he’s just about to pee himself. He’s still holding the knife, pointing it at Billy’s chest.

Like it will do him any good.

It gives Billy a sick sense of satisfaction, seeing the fear on this thug’s face when only moments ago he’d been keen on inflicting it upon others.

Namely, a harmless woman and child.

Turns out- not so harmless.

“Holy shi-!”

His fist flies out, catching the man in the jaw. It connects with an audible crack, sending the thug flying back. 

He collides with the side of one of the parked cars, hard enough to dent the door he hit, and collapses into a boneless heap on the pavement. 

He’s out for the count and Billy spins around.

The sight that greets him freezes his blood. 

The second man has his hand on Rosa’s shoulder, holding her against him. The gun is pressed against her temple. 

Rosa is staring at him, mouth slightly agape, eyes opened wide in disbelief.

Fists clenched, Billy takes a step forward before he can help himself. 

The man flinches, dragging Rosa back a couple steps. “Don’t.  _ Move,”  _ he growls.

“Okay.” Billy stops where he is. He holds up his hands, just to show that he has nothing to hide. “Okay,” he says. His mouth feels dry and there’s a shakiness in his limbs he can’t control. It’s wrong. Superheroes aren’t supposed to feel this  _ helpless _ , but seeing Rosa like this… he’s  _ terrified.  _ “I’m not moving. I’m not doing anything. Don’t hurt her.”

(And a tiny voice reminds him that this is exactly how he felt when he got the phone call from Freddy, when Sivana ordered one of his sin monsters to kill Darla…)

“I don’t believe this.” The man gives a slightly hysterical laugh, digging the gun deeper into Rosa’s temple. 

She winces, pain flashing almost imperceptibly across her face.

Billy’s fingernails are digging into his palm, but, right now, there’s nothing he can do but try to negotiate his way out of this. He’s bullet-proof, but Rosa isn’t. He’s fast, but he doesn’t think he’s  _ that  _ fast.

Not fast enough to prevent a bullet from entering Rosa’s skull. 

And even if he might be- that’s not something he’s risking. Not when the potential for disaster is so high. And the consequences so grave.

“The Red Cyclone… Captain Sparklefingers… the one  _ everyone’s  _ been talking about. He’s really just a kid.” He shakes his head, far too amused for his own good. “Of course, it makes sense, doesn’t it? Posting videos on youtube. It’s all so  _ juvenile.” _

The man straightens his shoulders then, pulling Rosa closer.

“Change back,” he says. “Do… whatever it is that you do. Just  _ change back!” _

“Billy,” Rosa whispers. 

He knows what she’s trying to tell him.

_ Don’t. Don’t do it. _

A pang hits his heart. 

Even now, she’s still thinking only of him, more concerned for his own safety when he’s literally  _ bulletproof _ , then she is for herself when she’s standing there with a gun pressed up against her skull.

“Shut up,  _ bitch!” _ the man roars, giving her a harsh shake.

Rosa cries out and it takes every last bit of Billy’s self control not to launch himself at the man. 

“I’m not telling you again, kid,” the man says, voice tight with barely controlled anger. “Change back.  _ Now.” _

And then it happens.

“Billy,  _ run!”  _

Rosa swings her purse, hitting the man in his stomach. With a grunt, he stumbles back, clutching at his stomach.

For just an instant, the gun is aiming somewhere  _ other  _ than right at Rosa’s head.

Billy slams into him, ramming him right up against side of the van. His arm is pressing into the man’s throat.

The man chokes, scrabbling desperately to get free. 

It’s a struggle the man can’t hope to win.

Billy leans in, adding more pressure, watching as the man’s face slowly turns red.

“You don’t ever touch my mom,” he whispers. 

“Billy!” Rosa’s hand is on his arm suddenly. 

Reluctantly, Billy tears his eyes away from the man to look at Rosa. 

“Don’t hurt him too much,” she says. She looks like she’s holding in tears, but she still gives him a brave, somewhat watery smile.

It stuns him, how selfless she can be in situations like this, how much she can still think of others.

He doesn’t want to stop himself. He doesn’t want to hold back.

But he’ll do it. For Rosa.

Billy drops the man.

He falls gracelessly to the ground, coughing and rubbing at his throat.

“She’s not a bitch either,” he tells him. Remarkably, he manages to keep his tone even.

Remarkably, he waits for the man to climb shakily back to his feet, instead of kicking him when he’s down.

Then he punches him once in the jaw.

Hard.

It still doesn’t feel like enough. 

Suddenly numb, he takes several steps backwards.

“Shazam,” he mumbles around a tongue that feels far too thick.

And then he’s standing there. No shiny suit. No superpowers.

Just him. Billy Batson. 

He’s shaking, he realizes. It feels like everything is caving in around him and he might fall to his knees any second. 

“Billy!” Rosa is there. Her hands are on his shoulder and she’s peering into his face. Tentatively, she brushes her fingers over the side of his face and head, searching for injuries. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” As if she hadn’t been the one with a gun to her head only minutes earlier.

Her fingertips, gentle as they are, rub against where the knife had nicked him.

Billy flinches, a hiss escaping his throat before there’s anything he can do to stop it.

She pulls her hand away, face darkening. “Those  _ animals.” _

It’s the second time in one night that he’s heard something so derogatory leave Rosa’s mouth and it just feels… wrong.

Rosa throws her arms around him and he slumps against her without protest. He wraps his arms around her, hiding his face against her shoulder. He’s mortified when he realizes that he’s actually  _ crying. _

Superheroes don’t cry.

“You stupid, stupid, brave boy,” Rosa murmurs into his hair through her own tears. “I told you to run.”

“Yeah, well,” Billy giggles a little and it might just be a bit hysterical. He inhales sharply and thinks his breath might catch a tiny bit on a sob. “I’m the superhero here.”

“And that! How did... ?” She stops herself. “Nevermind.” She holds him a little closer. “I thought they were going to kill you.”

Billy’s bottom lip trembles, a shudder running through his body. “I thought he was going to kill you,” he says quietly. His hands are shaking as he clings to her tightly, squeezing his eyes shut.

When he opens them again, he looks beyond her to where the man lays crumbled in a heap.

“But he didn’t,” Rosa murmurs gently. “He didn’t.”

...

“Rosa!” Victor practically flies out the door the minute they’re out of the van. He barrels into them, clutching them both to his chest. “You’re both okay. Thank God.” His voice is thick, like he’s working to keep back tears. “I was so worried.” 

Billy had called Victor on the shaky drive home. He hadn’t been able to fully explain everything, only just managing a vague description of their night, mentioning “two men” and “Red Cyclone.”

And then he’d taken a page from one of Freddy’s Spiderman comics and leaving the two thugs on the steps of the police station.

He feels guilty now, realizing that only now after seeing them, alive and relatively unhurt, have Victor’s fears been alleviated.

But he’d been so shaken up- so… rattled- after everything that he didn’t think he could have managed to get the whole story out- especially over the phone.

Billy’s face is crushed against Victor’s chest. He doesn’t necessarily mind. Victor is like a rock, a steady, reassuring presence. 

Billy takes comfort  in it, reaching up to grasp Victor’s elbow. Somewhere along the way, he’s started shaking again. 

Rosa has too, and he can hear her soft, muffled sobs, her face buried against Victor’s shoulder.

“Hey, hey.” Victor says soothingly. He shifts, likely as he makes some comforting gesture, probably rubbing her back. “Honey, it’s alright.” But Billy can tell from the way his muscles tense that Victor is angry too.

Angry at the men who- A lump suddenly works its way up Billy’s throat and he squeezes Victor’s elbow. 

Victor has both arms wrapped around him suddenly. It startles Billy, but he doesn’t complain. “Oh, kiddo.” He pulls away, scanning Billy up and down for injuries before his eyes land on the cut just beneath his ear.

His face tightens, eyes narrowing. “What happened?” he asks. “I want the whole story.”

Rosa shares a glance with Billy. She takes Victor’s elbow gently. “Let’s go inside,” she suggests quietly. She sounds drained. She probably is. “I’ll make tea. And we’ll… we’ll talk at the dinner table.”

….

Billy stares at the support beams for the bunk above him. His mind is still reeling from… everything. From the attack to the talk at the dinner table with Victor to the fact that his secret is out.

His secret is out.

They know.

Despite how… accepting Victor had been (and Billy chalks it up to the fact that it was late and they were tired and he didn’t know how to process what exactly his wife and latest foster son were telling him.), a pit still forms in his stomach.

He isn’t sure how he feels.

He’s sure there are more talks coming. More questions. 

Right now, he’s just glad they’re giving him his space. Though he’s not sure how long that will last.

The door bursts open.

“Hey, you’re in my bed!”

Billy winces, his eyes flickering towards the door.

Freddy limps forward.

“Sorry,” Billy struggles to sit up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. “I just…” He had just come up here and flung himself down, without really concerning himself over whose bed it was. He hadn’t wanted to climb the ladder to the top bunk and any bed had seemed like a better choice than the floor.

Freddy waves away his apology, plopping down on the bed next to Billy. “It’s fine,” he says. “I get it. Victor and Rosa told everyone to give you some space. But this is my room too and they can’t exactly ban me from my own room, so… good luck getting rid of me.”

Billy gives him a dry look. “And if I get up and leave?”

Freddy shrugs. “Well, you could. But then I’d have to drag you back. Remember you’re not the only one with superpowers.”

Billy can’t help the small smirk that tugs at the corners of his lips. “Sure. If you want to dump that on them too.”   
“They already know about you, so I guess it’s just a matter of time before they find out about the rest of is. Darla’ll probably spill now that it’s… technically okay for her to do so.” He gives Billy a shrewd look. “How’d they take it anyways?”

“Fine,” Billy says shortly. “They didn’t really… care all that much.”

“Billy…” Freddy scoffs, giving him an incredulous look that says  _ you don’t actually believe that, do you? _

Billy feels his cheeks heat up. “I mean… they didn’t... They weren’t… mad,” he says, sort of lamely. He doesn’t know what he expected. He’s not exactly sure he expected to be kicked out. To be yelled at, maybe. Grounded, definitely.

Not… the quiet talk accompanied by steaming mugs of tea that dissolved into one big tearful hug at the end. 

It feels like something in his throat has clenched up. 

He swallows and his gut twists and untwists.

So… this is what it feels like to be a family. It warms him from the inside out but… it also terrifies him. 

“Hey,” Freddy says. He grabs Billy’s hand.

Billy starts and tries halfheartedly to yank it back.

Freddy doesn’t let go and Billy resigns himself.

He doesn’t look at Freddy, but even when he’s focusing on the Batarang that’s been lovingly reinstated in its place, he can still feel the weight of Freddy’s concerned stare. 

“How’re you feeling?”

Billy considers. “I…” His head is pounding. His tongue feels like it’s about to stick to the roof of his mouth. “It was close,” he finally settles for.

Uncomfortably close. Too close.

“Yeah,” Freddy agrees. Without warning, he snuggles in closer to Billy. One arm snakes around his back and he rests his head against his shoulder.

Billy stills but he doesn’t pull away. 

It feels… nice. And when he hears Freddy’s breathing hitch he considers that maybe Freddy needs the comfort of this contact as much as he does. Maybe more so.

Slowly, hesitantly, Billy reaches up and returns the half hug.

“Thanks for keeping Rosa safe too,” Freddy whispers. “Not sure how any of us would survive without her. Not that we would be okay if… if something happened to you. Because, you know, we totally wouldn’t. Even if Rosa totally does make the best enchiladas ever and you… don’t, so… there’s that…” He trails off, tucking himself closer against Billy’s side with a shuddering little intake of air. 

“Gee, thanks,” Billy says dryly. He raises one eyebrow skeptically, but he can’t really help the somewhat fond smile that creeps across his face.

“Don’t you dare die,” Freddy says. “Because if you do, we’re  _ all  _ going to kill you. All of us.”

There’s a logical disconnect there, but Billy doesn’t see fit to point it out. 

He fights the swelling rising in his chest, blinking past the mistiness that’s suddenly making it hard for him to see clearly.

“Okay,” he promises. “Okay.”

**Author's Note:**

> This may or may not become a series, which is why it is marked as such.


End file.
